International Master Elijah Emojong will bypass the Rwabushenyi Memorial Open Chess Championship to focus on Kireka Open.

The 25-year-old has decided to skip the Rwabushenyi to fix attention on the last event of the year in pursuit of his third major title this year after successes at the Mombasa and Tanzania Opens.

“I won’t be taking part in the Rwabushenyi,” said the No.2 seed in the East African region. “I’ll take a rest and look through how to confront the chess sphere afresh. For now, I’ll focus on the Kireka Open.”

The Rwabushenyi that the Olympian has won twice starts on Thursday, November 30, at the Forest Cottages in Bukuto. Following his shoddy display at the Uganda Open where he came ninth with a paltry 5.5 points, Emojong who had made known of his lost fervor for chess says the lack of training and desire were the major causes for his mediocre show.

Courtesy

Emojong [L] against William Chibesa Kangwa at the Tanzania Open

He intends to embark on intensive training as he waits for the Kireka Open.

“Lack of training, inward drive and lack of vision has affected my performance. I’d like to see what I can do in chess from now on, so I’ll get back to serious training. It’s time for greater achievements, a great force plus a fuelled vision.

“I thought it would be hard to get back to chess. But after the Uganda Open plus also joining Kireka Chess Club, there’s no looking back. There’s much to achieve in chess, and it’s possible to make the experience exciting.”